Why social network site use fails to promote well-being? The roles of social overload and fear of missing out

an article by Huan-YouChai, Shuai-Lei Lian, Xiao-Wei Chu, Sanyuya Liu and Xiao-Jun Sun (Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China) and Geng-Feng Niu (Xi'an Jiaotong University, China) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 100 (November 2019)

Highlights

• There was no significant correlation between SNS use and subjective well-being.
• SNS use had a suppressing effect on subjective well-being via social overload.
• FoMO moderated the direct and indirect relations between SNS use and subjective well-being.

Abstract

Considering the popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) and the inconsistent results regarding the effect of SNS use on subjective well-being, this study intended to address the question “why SNS fails to predict subjective well-being” by investigating the suppressing role of social overload and moderating role of fear of missing out (FoMO).

A sample of 1,319 Chinese adolescents was recruited to complete measures on SNS use, social overload, FoMO and subjective well-being.

Results showed that SNS use had a positively direct effect on subjective well-being, while the indirect effect via social overload in this association was significantly negative, suggesting that SNS use had a suppressing effect on well-being via social overload.

FoMO moderated the suppressing effect of social overload; specifically, the indirect and direct effects were both more potent for adolescents with higher FoMO. Implications and limitations of this study are also discussed.

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Social capital and subjective well-being: The mediating role of social networking sites

an article by Li-Ann Hwang, Jason Wei Jian Ng and Santha Vaithilingam (Monash University Malaysia) published in First Monday Volume 24 Number 10 (October 2019)

Abstract

Many studies have examined the separate impacts of social capital (bonding and bridging) and the use of social networking sites (SNSs) on subjective well-being (SWB). However, few studies address the mediating role that SNS use has on the relationship between social capital and SWB.

The current study addresses this research gap, examining the extent to which SNS use mediates the relationship between social capital and SWB. Moreover, this study theorizes SNS use to be a behavioural outcome of social capital, as opposed to the widespread view that SNSs are a tool to generate social capital.

Using primary data from a sample of 307 undergraduate students, the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique was used to analyze the data via a sequential mediating mechanism.

The findings highlight the importance of the utilitarian use of SNS in mediating the relationship between bridging social capital and SWB. On the other hand, the direct effect of bonding social capital on SWB was found to be stronger than the indirect effects, indicating that SNS use is not crucial in mediating this particular relationship.

Theoretical and practical implications of the study are subsequently discussed.

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Problematic smartphone usage and subjective and psychological well-being

an article by Sharon Horwood and Jeromy Anglim (Deakin University, Australia) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 97 (August 2019)

Highlights

• Problematic smartphone use is associated with lower well-being.
• Autonomy is negatively associated with problematic smartphone use.
• Negative affect is positively associated with problematic smartphone use.
• Reducing smartphone use could be a targeted intervention in clinical settings.

Abstract

Despite a growing awareness that problematic usage of smartphones is becoming a significant public health issue, there is limited research on how problematic smartphone usage relates to the humanistic concepts of well-being, particularly those captured in Ryff's six psychological well-being dimensions: positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.

The current study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between general and problematic smartphone usage and subjective well-being and psychological well-being using long-form, theoretically grounded measures. Australian adults (n = 539, 79% female; age in years M = 25.1, SD = 7.8) completed Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale, the PANAS, and Ryff's 84-item measure of psychological well-being.

Results showed that problematic smartphone usage was correlated with lower well-being on almost all scales. In particular, negative affect, autonomy, and environmental mastery had the largest negative correlations with problematic smartphone usage. Given the stable and dispositional nature of well-being, it seems likely that much of the relationship is driven by a common underlying tendency to experience anxiety, negative emotions, and a lack of control, combined with a tendency to engage in maladaptive coping and compulsive behavior.

Hazel’s comment:
I was not sure about “problematic smartphone usage”. Just in case you are also a little confused then Wikipedia has an article you may find useful together with links to other information about the effect of problematic usage on your mental health.

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Minimalist life orientations as a dialogical tool for happiness

an article by Jennifer E. Hausen (University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg) published in British Journal of Guidance & Counselling Volume 47 Issue 2 (2019)

Abstract

In contemporary culture, it is natural to think that purchasing and owning the “right” possessions results in happiness. This belief supports our loyalty to consumer society.

However, several lines of research demonstrate that high consumption lifestyles and materialistic values are not a trustworthy path to well-being. Instead, materially simpler lifestyles such as minimalism, with a focus on intrinsic values, have been suggested as contributing to happiness and fulfilment.

Thus, the present paper exemplifies how individuals adopt minimalism. I propose Dialogical Self Theory (DST) to explain the decision-making processes in the transition from a materialist to a minimalist lifestyle since DST provides a useful framework to explore multiplicity in an individual’s self-concept by recognising the self as moving between multiple and relatively autonomous I-positions.

Thus, DST can be used to understand how internal inconsistencies, for example between a materialistic and a minimalistic I, are resolved. My elaborations suggest that the dialogical relations of different I-positions serve as a form of self-guidance leading the self to transform into a minimalist. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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Wellbeing measurements, Easterlin’s paradox and new growth models: A perspective through gross national happiness

a column by Sriram Balasubramanian for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal

There has been considerable criticism of the general reliance on GDP as an indicator of growth and development. One strand of criticism focuses on the inability of GDP to capture the subjective well-being or happiness of a populace.

This column examines new growth models, paying particular attention to Bhutan, which has pursued gross national happiness, rather than GDP, since the 1970s. It finds evidence of the Easterlin paradox in Bhutan, and draws out lessons for macroeconomic growth models.

Continue reading

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Income Inequality and Subjective Well-Being: Toward an Understanding of the Relationship and Its Mechanisms

an article by Ivana Katic (Columbia University, USA) and Paul Ingram (Cornell University, USA) published in Business & Society Volume Volume 57 Issue 6 (July 2018)

Abstract

Income inequality is emerging as the socioeconomic topic of our era. Yet there is no clear conclusion as to how income inequality affects the most comprehensive human outcome measure, subjective well-being (SWB).

This study provides an explanation for the relationship between income inequality and SWB, by delving into its mechanisms, including egalitarian preferences, perceived fairness, social comparison concerns, as well as perceived social mobility.

In a rigorous analysis using a large cross-country dataset, and accounting for the nested structure of the data, as well as controlling for a variety of individual and country characteristics, we find that SWB is higher where income inequality is higher. Importantly, we also find support for this relationship being moderated by perceptions of poverty being caused by unfairness, an individual’s relative socioeconomic standing, as well as beliefs about hard work leading to success.

Our study highlights the dire need for further scholarly attention to income inequality and its complex effects on SWB.

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Does Happiness Promote Career Success? Revisiting the Evidence

an article by Lisa C. Walsh and Sonja Lyubomirsky (University of California, Riverside, USA) and Julia K. Boehm (Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA) published in Journal of Career Assessment Volume 26 Issue 2 (May 2018)

Abstract

Empirical research demonstrates a relationship between happiness and career success.

For example, happy people receive higher earnings, exhibit better performance, and obtain more favorable supervisor evaluations than their less happy peers.

Researchers have posited that success leads to happiness, but Boehm and Lyubomirsky reviewed the relevant research in 2008 and argued that the alternative hypothesis – that happiness causes success – may be equally plausible.

A decade later, we return to the literature to supplement studies we previously cited with new research and to determine whether the results of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental investigations provide additional support for this hypothesis.

We conclude that the evidence continues to persuasively suggest that happiness is correlated with and often precedes career success and that experimentally enhancing positive emotions leads to improved outcomes in the workplace.

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Linking residential relocation desires and behaviour with life domain satisfaction

an article by Beata Nowok (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Allan Findlay and David McCollum (University of St Andrews, UK) published in Urban Studies Volume 54 Issue 4 (2018)

Abstract

Life satisfaction and motives for moving home are complex entanglements, reflecting multiple desires and experiences. The aim of this paper is to show that a focused analysis of satisfaction with particular life domains can prove that changing a place of residence is not only a life stressor, but also a positive means leading to enduring improvements in individual satisfaction.

Using the British Household Panel Survey we examine overall life satisfaction and satisfaction in various life domains such as housing, job, social life, household income, spouse/partner and health, both prior to and after moving.

A temporal pattern of movers’ satisfaction for a number of years before and after the move is derived employing a fixed-effects panel data model. Our results reveal that residential relocation increases housing satisfaction considerably. The positive effect of moving on housing satisfaction is much stronger and endures longer for those with a sustained desire to relocate ahead of movement.

Despite some decrease over time, five years after moving survey respondents still had significantly higher housing satisfaction than before their move.

Changes in satisfaction with other life domains are much less pronounced and no lasting improvements in satisfaction are observed for them.

Full text (PDF 12pp)

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Workplace spirituality buffers the effects of emotional labour on employee well-being

an article by Wen-Chi Zou (Macau University of Science and Technology, China) and Jason Dahling (The College of New Jersey, Ewing, USA) published in European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology Volume 26 Issue 5 (2017)

Abstract

This research examines how workplace spirituality buffers the detrimental relationship between emotional labour and subjective well-being among two samples of service workers in the United States and southern China.

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, we found that the negative relationship between surface acting and subjective well-being was moderated by workplace spirituality. Specifically, employees with high spirituality were buffered from the harmful effects of surface acting on subjective well-being, whereas employees with low spirituality were not.

We found no evidence of a moderating effect on the relationship between deep acting and subjective well-being.

These findings shed light on individual differences that influence the emotional labour process and expand our knowledge of cross-cultural similarities and differences in emotion management.

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Underemployment and well-being in the UK before and after the Great Recession

an article by Jason Heyes , Mark Tomlinson and Adam Whitworth (University of Sheffield, UK)  published in Work, employment and society Volume 31 Issue 1 (February 2017)

Abstract

Since the start of the economic crisis in 2008 there has been widespread concern with changes in the level and composition of unemployment. The phenomenon of underemployment has, however, received markedly less attention, although it too increased in extent following the start of the crisis.

This article considers the consequences of underemployment for the subjective well-being of UK employees.

Drawing on data from the 2006 and 2012 Employment and Skills Surveys, the article assesses how the Great Recession affected relationships between different dimensions of underemployment and well-being. The findings demonstrate that the negative well-being consequences of workers’ dissatisfaction with opportunities to make use of their abilities became more substantial, as did the consequences of being ‘hours constrained’ and having an unsatisfactory workload.

The article also shows that the economic crisis had a negative impact on the well-being of employees who work very long hours.

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Feeling well while chronically ill or impaired: a multilevel study on the moderating role of employment and volunteering in Europe

an article by Josephine Foubert, Katia Levecque and Ronan Van Rossem (Ghent University, Belgium) published in Disability & Society Volume 32 Issue 1 (2017)

Abstract

People with a chronic condition tend to report poorer subjective well-being than people without. This article examines the dependence of the relationship on doing paid and voluntary work, and on macro-level labour market exclusion of people with and without chronic conditions.

Data from the European Quality of Life Survey (2011–2012) of people aged between 25 and 65 are analysed using multilevel regression techniques.

A chronic condition has a stronger negative effect on subjective well-being for persons who are economically inactive or who never engage in voluntary work. The importance of paid work, however, varies with national levels of labour exclusion.

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A web survey analysis of subjective well-being

an article by Martin Guzi (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic) and Pablo de Pedraza García (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands AND Universidad de Salamanca, Spain) published in International Journal of Manpower Volume 36 Issue 1 (2015)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of work conditions and job characteristics with respect to three subjective well-being (SWB) indicators: life satisfaction, job satisfaction and satisfaction with work-life balance. From a methodological point of view, the paper shows how social sciences can benefit from the use of voluntary web survey data.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper makes use of a large sample of individual data obtained from voluntary web surveys collected as part of the WageIndicator project. The sample includes extensive information on the quality of working conditions together with different well-being indicators. The propensity score adjustment weights are used to improve the sample performance.

Findings
The results shed light on the importance of certain job characteristics not only in determining job satisfaction, but also in other SWB domains. The findings support the theory of spillover perspectives, according to which satisfaction in one domain affects other domains.

Research limitations/implications
As a voluntary web-survey, WageIndicator is affected by selection bias. The validity of the sample can be improved by weighting, but this adjustment should be made and tested on a country-by-country basis.

Originality/value
The paper provides analysis of the quality of a web survey not commonly used in happiness research. The subsequent presentation of the effects of working conditions on several satisfaction domains represents a contribution to the literature.

JEL codes: J28, J81

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Life satisfaction effects of unemployment in Europe: The moderating influence of labour market policy

an article by Melike Wulfgramm (University of Bremen, Germany; IZA, Germany) published in Journal of European Social Policy Volume 24 Number 3 (July 2014)

Abstract

Public policy shapes the lives of individuals, and even more so if they depend on state support.

In the case of unemployment, the financial situation is largely determined by cash transfers and daily routines depend on the involvement in active labour market policy measures. To what extent, however, can subjective well-being differences of European unemployed be traced back to the national design and generosity of labour market policy?

This article applies multilevel and panel estimation techniques to identify the moderating effect of unemployment benefit generosity and active labour market policy on life satisfaction of the unemployed.

While unemployment has strong negative life satisfaction effects in all 21 European countries under study, the generosity of passive labour market policy moderates this effect to a surprisingly large extent: the adverse effect of unemployment is almost doubled if unemployment benefits are meagre.

This moderating effect can be explained both by a resource as well as a non-pecuniary mechanism. The positive moderating effect of active labour market policy is less robust across model specifications.

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Employment, late-life work, retirement, and well-being in Europe and the United States

an article by Milena Nikolova and Carol Graham (The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC and University of Maryland) published in IZA Journal of European Labor Studies Volume 3, Number 5 (2014)

Abstract

Flexible work arrangements and retirement options provide one solution for the challenges of unemployment and underemployment, aging populations, and unsustainable public pension systems in welfare states around the world.

We examine the relationships between well-being and job satisfaction on the one hand and employment status and retirement, on the other, using Gallup World Poll data for several European countries and the United States.

We find that voluntary part-time workers are happier, experience less stress and anger, and have higher job satisfaction than other employees. Using statistical matching, we show that late-life workers under voluntary part-time or full-time arrangements have higher well-being than retirees.

There is no well-being premium for involuntary late-life work and self-employment compared to retirement, however. Our findings inform ongoing debates about the optimal retirement age and the fiscal burdens of public pension systems.

JEL codes: J14; J21; J26; J28; I31; Z18

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.izajoels.com/content/3/1/5

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OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being

Description

Being able to measure people’s quality of life is fundamental when assessing the progress of societies. There is now widespread acknowledgement that measuring subjective well-being is an essential part of measuring quality of life alongside other social and economic dimensions. As a first step to improving the measures of quality of life, the OECD has produced Guidelines which provide advice on the collection and use of measures of subjective well-being. These Guidelines have been produced as part of the OECD Better Life Initiative, a pioneering project launched in 2011, with the objective to measure society’s progress across eleven domains of well-being, ranging from jobs, health and housing, through to civic engagement and the environment.

These Guidelines represent the first attempt to provide international recommendations on collecting, publishing, and analysing subjective well-being data. They provide guidance on collecting information on people's evaluations and experiences of life, as well as on collecting “eudaimonic” measures of psychological well-being. The Guidelines also outline why measures of subjective well-being are relevant for monitoring and policy making, and why national statistical agencies have a critical role to play in enhancing the usefulness of existing measures. They identify the best approaches for measuring, in a reliable and consistent way, the various dimensions of subjective well-being, and provide guidance for reporting on such measures. The Guidelines also include a number of prototype survey modules on subjective well-being that national and international agencies can use in their surveys.

with apologies for the poor quality of the image!

The 270-page PDF is available here but is not downloadable.

The downloadable version is accessible to subscribers on the OECD iLibrary or can be purchased from the OECD Online Bookshop priced £72

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Subjective wellbeing: a primer for poverty analysts

an article by Sridhar Venkatapuram (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK) published in Journal of Poverty and Social Justice Volume 21 Number 1 (February 2013)

Abstract

The article reviews the current theory and measurement of subjective well-being (SWB).

The first two sections discuss growing efforts in many countries to measure and monitor national well-being, particularly in the United Kingdom. The third and fourth sections discuss the novelty and controversies about SWB research.

It concludes that a critical approach is essential in evaluating SWB research but dismissing it offhand or framing it as antithetical to objective well-being is misconceived. The pressing issue for poverty research and public policy is to determine which insights about SWB are worth using, and how much space within conceptions of well-being used in public policy should be given to SWB.

Full text (PDF 13pp)

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Not all that it might seem: why job satisfaction is worth studying despite it being a poor summary measure of job quality

an article by Andrew Brown and David A Spencer (University of Leeds, UK) and Andy Charlwood (University of York, UK) published in Work Employment & Society Volume 26 Number 6 (December 2012)

Abstract

Interest in data on job satisfaction is increasing in both academic and policy circles.

One common way of interpreting these data is to see a positive association between job satisfaction and job quality. Another view is to dismiss the usefulness of job satisfaction data, because workers can often express satisfaction with work where job quality is poor.

It is argued that this second view has some validity, but that survey data on job satisfaction and subjective well-being at work are informative if interpreted carefully. If researchers are to come to sensible conclusions about the meaning behind job satisfaction data, information about why workers report job satisfaction is needed. It is in the understanding of why workers report feeling satisfied (or dissatisfied) with their jobs that sociology can make a positive contribution.

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Traditional versus Secular Values and the Job–Life Satisfaction Relationship Across Europe

an article by Yannis Georgellis and Thomas Lange (Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia) published in British Journal of Management Volume 23 Issue 4 (December 2012)

Abstract

Using data from the European Values Survey (EVS), we examine the relationship between job and life satisfaction across Europe. We find that for the majority of employees job and life satisfaction are positively correlated, thus supporting the spillover hypothesis, whereby attitudes and practices developed in the life domain spill over into the work domain and vice versa.

In contrast, we find little support for the compensation hypothesis, whereby employees who are dissatisfied in one domain seek compensatory rewards in the other domain.

However, multivariate analysis reveals that the strength of the interaction between job and life satisfaction is mitigated by cultural values and interpersonal trust, as encapsulated in the ‘traditional versus secular values’ index reported in the EVS data.

We thus find that predictors of the job–life satisfaction relationship vary across cultures and that such cross-cultural variations are systematically related to salient cultural values and beliefs. The latter findings raise important questions about the universal application of existing theories in the subjective well-being arena.

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The changing influence of culture on job satisfaction across Europe: 1981-2008

a paper by Gail Pacheco (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand), De Wet van der Westhuizen (Telecom, New Zealand) and Don J. Webber (University of the West of England, Bristol, UK) published by AUT University Faculty of Business and Law in the Department of Economics Working Paper Series as 2012/06

Abstract

This paper contributes to the growing multi-disciplinary body of literature on subjective well-being by investigating the temporal stability and impacts of cultural values on job satisfaction over time. It is generally believed that cultural values evolve fairly slowly, leading to the expectation that the impacts of these values on job satisfaction are likely to be fairly stable over an individual’s working life. This paper uses four waves of the European Values Study and investigates whether cultural values have evolved and whether their impacts on job satisfaction have changed across Europe over the period 1981-2008.

We parameterise cultural values through reference to traditional vs. secular and survival vs. self-expression value continuums. Results indicate that the strength of many cultural values have declined, the impacts of traditional values on job satisfaction have remained fairly constant, and the impacts of survival values on job satisfaction have declined substantially over the sample period.

JEL Classification: J28

Full text (PDF 33pp)

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Whistle While You Work: A Review of the Life Satisfaction Literature

an article by Berrin Erdogan, Talya N. Bauer, Donald M. Truxillo and Layla R. Mansfield (Portland State University) published in Journal of Management Volume 38 Number 4 (July 2012)

Abstract

Life satisfaction is a key indicator of subjective well-being. This article is a review of the multidisciplinary literature on the relationship between life satisfaction and the work domain.

A discussion of top-down and bottom-up theories of life satisfaction is included, and the literatures on work-related antecedents of life satisfaction, the proximal mediators (quality of work life, quality of nonwork life, and feelings of self-worth), and consequences of life satisfaction were reviewed.

A meta-analysis of life satisfaction with respect to career satisfaction, job performance, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment was performed. Each major section of the article concludes with a future opportunities subsection where gaps in the research are discussed.

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